Safe harbors in stormy waters

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's expertise in border control training is being tapped to support the Megaports Initiative, a government program aimed at preventing terrorism.

Megaports refer to the world's largest and busiest seaports. Nearly 90 percent of the world's trade is shipped in cargo containers. The Megaports program works with countries to provide radiation detection equipment, training and support to certain ports.

These efforts further enhance the host nation's capability to screen cargo for nuclear and other radioactive materials that could be used by terrorists in weapons of mass destruction or radiological dispersal devices. PNNL provides needs assessment, training materials development, technical support, training coordination and specialized advanced detection equipment training.

To date, PNNL has provided Megaports training to the Netherlands and Greece. Training includes both in-country activities and a one-week course conducted at the Department of Energy's Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response facility in Richland, Wash. Future Megaports training will include countries throughout Asia, Europe and Latin America.

The Megaports Initiative is a cooperative effort between DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration's Second Line of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

The Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.